Gaming Guru

H.O.R.S.E. final table set

The most anticipated final table of this year's World Series of Poker is finally set.

Amnon Filippi and Freddy Deeb have impressive chip stacks after four days of play in the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship, but there isn't a slouch at the final table, and it will be a real grind to win the title and the $2.3 million first-place prize.

It took exactly 55 levels to get to the final table, so when they begin play Thursday at 2 p.m. PST, the game will be Hold'em with $30,000 and $60,000 blinds.

The final table

Anmon Fillipi - $4.0 millionFilippi only has four career WSOP cashes, and this is his first final table. But he's managed to amass an impressive chip stack and will be a force on the final day.

Filippi is known for his appearance on High Stakes Poker on GSN and has also made two World Poker Tour final tables. His largest career tournament cash is $364,200, which he won two years ago for winning the $10,000 buy-in Bellagio Challenge Cup. He'll exceed that tomorrow if he outlasts just three players.

Freddy Deeb - $3.5 millionDeeb went on a huge rush in the final hour of Day Four to move from slightly below average to second. He eliminated Gabe Kaplan to set the final table in stone.

The always-entertaining Deeb won a WSOP bracelet in Deuce to Seven Draw in 1996 and owns a WPT title as well, taking home $1 million for winning the Ultimate Poker Challenge in 2005.

Kenny Tran - $2.4 millionTran has made one WSOP final table and he has six career cashes. But all his cashes have come in Hold'em events. When the tournament field dropped to nine players, Tran was constantly leaving his table to see if anyone was getting short stacked on the other table. Will he have enough experience and focus to take down the top players in the world? We'll find out tomorrow.

John Hanson - $2.0 millionHanson is the enigma in this field. Hanson had just one WSOP cash and a WPT finish that netted him $12,000 almost two years ago to his credit entering the tournament, making the odds on him reaching the final table very, very long. As for the odds on him taking down the final table -- well, they're not nearly as long. He has proven to be a patient player, picking his spots and, admittedly, getting lucky along the way. At one point, Hanson was down to $60,000 chips, but now sits in fourth entering the final table.

David Singer - $1.3 millionThe only person to make the final table in both years of this tournament, Singer will be looking to improve on his sixth-place showing from last year. He is perhaps the best stud player in the group. His ability to get in each and every value bet, or get away from hands when he has lost, is unparalleled. If he still has a healthy chip stack after the first two community card levels, look for Singer to make a move in the first round of stud games when the betting limits will be all the way up to $80,000/$160,000.

This will be Singer's eighth WSOP final table. He has finished second twice and has yet to win a bracelet.

Bruno Fitoussi - $895,000France's Bruno Fitoussi enters the final table in sixth. He has four career WSOP cashes and two final tables. One of the best players in Europe, Fitoussi spends most of his time playing in European tournaments, though he has been playing more WSOP and WPT events in recent years.

Barry Greenstein - $750,000One of the best mixed-game players in the world, Greenstein has some work to do to catch up to the rest of the field. Greenstein is one of three players (Singer and Dewey Tomko are the others) to cash in this event in both years. Greenstein was 12th last year.

Greenstein has two career WSOP bracelets and is making his 10th career final table appearance.

Thor Hansen - $40,000Hansen is in trouble. With just $40,000 chips, Hansen could be all-in from the blind on the first hand if the button falls in the right (or wrong) spot.

But Hansen certainly isn't lacking in experience. He owns two WSOP bracelets and will be making his 15th career final table.

Just missed the cutGabe Kaplan, of Welcome Back Kotter fame, finished on the bubble in ninth place. When he's not bubbling in the WSOP, Kaplan is a commentator for High Stakes Poker.

Dewey Tomko, who made the final table last year, just fell short this year, finishing 10th.

Greg Raymer was 14th, and Mike Matusow just made the money in 16th. Daniel Negreanu, who entered the Day Four as a short stack, was the first to bust, going out 21st.

Home-game hotshot Aaron Todd was an editor/writer at Casino City for nearly eight years, and is currently the Assistant Director of Athletics for Communications and Marketing at St. Lawrence University, his alma mater. While he is happy to play Texas Hold'em, he'd rather mix it up and play Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz, Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw, and Badugi.

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Aaron Todd

Home-game hotshot Aaron Todd was an editor/writer at Casino City for nearly eight years, and is currently the Assistant Director of Athletics for Communications and Marketing at St. Lawrence University, his alma mater. While he is happy to play Texas Hold'em, he'd rather mix it up and play Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz, Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw, and Badugi.

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